Friends and Enemies
by katbybee
Summary: A Late Posting for the 2019 SSSW Challenge as Promised. Written entirely from Sgt. Olsen's POV. What happens when you accidentally shoot the wrong person...Especially when you never meant to shoot anyone at all? See A/Ns. Reviews appreciated. Usual Disclaimers Apply.


**A/N: ** This story was written for the Short Story Speedwriting Challenge, however, I ended up in the hospital and was unable to post it for the Challenge. I am still in a rehabilitation facility, but am getting stronger every day. Today is the first day I have been able to use my tablet for a little while without triggering a migraine, which makes me happy. They are getting a handle on the right medications! There's a heavy storm with lots of thunder and lightning, however, so I'd better post it while I can.

Prompt: "You're the best enemy a man ever had." Note: This story is told strictly from Olsen's first POV Narrative. Thanks to Abracadebra for the inspiration with her wonderful story "Away Like a Flame."

**In the Forest **

**Outside Hammelburg**

**Late Afternoon**

I didn't mean to shoot him. It really was an accident, but that doesn't mean anything now. No one will ever believe me. I'm a prisoner, and he's a guard. The bad part is, he's one of the good ones. He tries to help us whenever he can, and other than Shultz, he's one of the few in camp who gives a damn about the prisoners.

I have no idea why he was this far from camp on foot. Maybe he has a girlfriend somewhere? Maybe he wanted to go AWOL? I don't know. All I know is, I am sitting here, two miles from camp, and he's got a hole in his shoulder that I put there. I've plugged it with my undershirt, wrapping it real good, and I'm holding pressure on it, but it's not doing a lot of good

He can't die. He just can't. How the hell am I going to explain to Colonel Hogan, let alone to the Germans that I may have just killed Corporal Karl Langenscheidt? _I can't. _That's how. At least it just took a chunk from the top of his shoulder.. No bullet to worry about. But there's a lot of blood! I'll just have to take off my belt and cinch it around his shoulder, under his armpit. I saw Colonel Hogan do that to Carter one time. I hope it works. Oh, crap, he's waking up!

_No, Karl, don't! Shhhhh... be quiet!_

_Yes, I know it hurts. You've been shot. I'm going to help you, but you have to be quiet, okay?_

_Here, you probably shouldn't have very much, but try to drink a little bit of this water. There… that's it. No, just a sip or two. I know. Look, can you hang on till dark? We'll have a better chance then. Can't exactly waltz back through the front gates, can we?_

_Who shot you? Uh well…_

_What's that? Yeah, it __**was**_ _me. But I didn't mean to. I wasn't aiming for you, I swear. It was a stupid accident. I uhhh… I dropped my gun._

_Don't look at me like that. It's true. I dropped it. _

_Stop grinning. I thought you'd be mad. You… why, you really __**are**_ _on our side aren't you?_

_No, Karl, of course I would never tell anyone! Look, let me check that dressing. It's the best I can do at the moment. I think you'll be okay. It's not bleeding quite as bad now. Why don't you get some rest, and I'll figure out how to get us back to camp in a couple of hours. Were you on a pass?_

_You were? Good, that makes it easier. You had an excuse to be gone, and I'm outside the wire half the time anyway, so no one will miss me for a while. We should be okay. You lay back and relax. We'll be fine. _

_What's that? Ahhhh, you must be getting delirious, but that's a nice thing to say anyway, Karl. _**You're the best enemy a man ever had,** too. Now get some shut-eye. We'll be back home before you know it.

**Barracks Two**

**In the Tunnels**

**A Few Hours Later**

Oh man, am I ever in for it. Sgt. Wilson is with Langenscheidt. They have him in the VIP quarters, I'm pretty sure he's gonna be okay, even though he was nearly unconscious when I got him to the tree stump a little while ago. He made it most of the way back under his own steam, but he was talking pretty weird, and he had a fever.

Colonel Hogan wants to see me in his office. I know he is steamed about the whole thing. It's a good thing Karl had a three day pass, and he was on his way _out_ of camp, or our goose would be cooked for sure. Nobody saw me bring him back into camp, so Wilson has a couple of days to get him over his wound. I guess he thinks it isn't too bad, so the colonel can probably come up with something if we can get Karl to play along. I bet we can, from the way he acted out in the forest. But that isn't gonna save my hide with Colonel Hogan. Guess I better get upstairs….

**In Hogan's Office**

**A Few Minutes Later**

"_What exactly happened out there, sir? Well, I was headed back to camp, as ordered. And…"_

"_What's that? Yes, I know I was running a little late. I got hung up in town-"_

"_No, sir, it wasn't a girl. I stopped off to pick up Newkirk's watch. He left it at Fraulein Magda's house last time he was in town, and he asked me to-"_

"_Well, yessir, in a manner of speaking, I guess you could say it __**was**_ _a girl, then, but it wasn't __**my**_ _girl, see-"_

"_Yessir, sorry sir. Anyway, so I was coming back on the forest path, and I decided to climb up on that big rock that's by the side of the path about two miles out… you know the one. Just to sort of get a look-see? Well, I didn't want to have my gun in the way, so I went to move it from my pocket to the back of my pants and it sort of fell out of my pocket. And it went off accidentally ..."_

"_I know that sir. It __**was**_ _stupid, and I'm sorry. I had no idea anyone was even around until I heard him fall. I ran over to him, checked him out, and well, you pretty well know the rest."_

"_Yessir. Damned lucky. I know. Look, if he needs penicillin or anything, I'll be happy to go and get it for him myself."_

"_No, sir, I understand. Maybe it would be best if I stay inside the wire for a while. LeBeau knows Paris better than me anyway. Hopefully we won't need it anyhow."_

"_No, sir, it won't ever happen again, you can count on that. And, uh, colonel?"_

"_I'm sorry it happened, but it's kinda nice to find out who your friends are, even if they are enemies, right sir?_

**~The End~**


End file.
